


Breakdown City

by dearparker



Series: whumping peter parker like it’s a full time job [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Break Up, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Exhaustion, F/M, Hurt Peter Parker, Mental Breakdown, Minor Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Relationship Advice, Relationship Problems, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Underage Drinking, Vomiting, all the kids are bi!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24495982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearparker/pseuds/dearparker
Summary: “I’ll be okay?” Peter whispers.“You’ll be okay.”(or: peter makes a mistake, makes a friend, and everyone makes up)
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Miles Morales & Peter Parker, Miles Morales & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: whumping peter parker like it’s a full time job [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780081
Kudos: 87





	Breakdown City

**Author's Note:**

> hiya hiya! i hope you enjoy this!

It’s the middle of the night, about _2:51 AM,_ and Peter is crying.

He doesn’t know how he manages—each and every single time—but he fucked up. _Again._

The first time, Peter accidentally forgot their first date.

Next, he didn’t text her back for a week while he was stuck in the MedBay.

This time, he ditched MJ at a Dress-Up party.

In his slightly tipsy haze, he bumbled out the front door of that party, threw up in the front lawn, stole a garden gnome, and took the city bus.

And left MJ.

He’d called. Slurred his apology, and proceeded to make matters worse.

_”Peter, I-I just don’t want to talk right now.”_

_”Em I’m sorry? I-Is—It over?”_

_”It’s over?”_

_”Yeah,”_

_”Oh. Okay—“_

_”Wait-Wait MJ! I-I didn—“_

_”Goodbye Peter.”_

Now he’s sitting at the bus stop two minutes from his house, cradling the stolen garden gnome in his arms like a baby, his nose red like Rudolph and he’s hiccuping through his heartbreak.

It fucking sucks. He tried calling. Again. And again.

He’d called her back 26 times. Each time it went straight to voicemail.

He feels like he’s pouting, with his red nose and hot tears streaming down his face, paired with the stolen garden gnome and his sleeves pulled over his knuckles, he looks young.

Young, and painfully fucking stupid. Add _forgetful_ to that list too.

Peter felt his lips crack in the summer night’s heat, eyes hot and on the verge of falling asleep. Maybe he’d cry himself to sleep.

He’s distantly aware of the nausea that washed over him again, sweat dotted across his eyebrows, but he whines pathetically and hugs the gnome tighter.

He’s definitely _not_ naming this gnome after MJ. Definitely not naming the gnome _Emmy_ and praying for a bit of comfort.

They haven’t been dating for too long, a little over three and a half months and it’s already over. It’s a high school relationship, he’d expected nothing less than cheesy and short-lived, but then he actually fell head over heels. Maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but he doesn’t necessarily want to lose her.

He _likes_ likes her. A fucking lot, too.

They’ve been best friends since the beginning of freshman year, him and Ned and MJ. They were all best friends. He wanted to take things a step further between him and MJ, Ned being completely on board, so he went for it.

No plan, because he didn’t need one. She said yes, the tips of his ears were red for a week.

Ned gushed over their relationship more than they did. He’d lost his mind earlier tonight when the walked in the party as _Coraline_ and _Other Wybie_ and proceeded to take a million photos.

Of course, it was more so an updated teenager version of _Coraline_ and _Other Wybie_ , they both had on considerable amounts of makeup with MJ going as far as putting fake lashes on him and herself, large, all-black platform shoes for Peter and MJ coloring her hair blue.

They made it work, somehow.

Four hours later... maybe—time is _weird_ anyway—and he’s lost his borrowed, button-looking glasses, hugging a gnome he named after his gir— _Ex-Girlfriend—_ and he really wants to go home.

But he’s... a lot of things. Exhausted, definitely. An idiot, an exhausted forgetful fucking jackass idiot, certainly.

 _Geez—_ Heartbreak sucks monkey dick.

Peter’s not too sure what to do in this situation, maybe take advice from teenage romance movies where they call their best friend in tears and make up three minutes later, but he technically did that already.

MJ is his best friend, and they haven’t made up yet.

Through all their arguments, she held an everlasting grudge. She didn’t simply _forget_ things the way he did, it burned in her memory and gave her headaches in the morning.

She had liked it when he massaged her temples.

A hot wave of despair washes over him, a pathetic whimper breaking through his lips.

_Shoes scuff against the ground, small murmurs and then a can clatters to the floor. More noise._

Peter looks up in confusion, a hiccup racking his body, and makes eye contact with a concerned looking teenager.

He’s got a duffel bag strapped across his body, headphones rested on his neck and basketball shorts feeding out from the Midtown Crewneck.

Peter raises an eyebrow with a snort. The boy looks confused, staring pointedly at the differences in their outfits and the worn out garden gnome.

He looks like he’s about to take off down the street, but his shoelaces are untied and he stumbles before he can stop himself.

Peter smiles, “Emmy the Gnome!”

”Uh,” The boy’s eyes widen comically, “Miles actually.”

”What?”

_”What?”_

Peter smiles sheepishly, “Sorry, M’Peter,” and he pats the vacant spot on the bench beside him. Miles looks more suspicious by the second.

Miles purses his lips and twiddles his fingers, eventually gives in with a sigh. He sets his bag down on the ground between them, the clattering of cans erupts from the inside, and he brings his legs up to sit crisscrossed.

It’s strange, and it makes him look small.

”You.. look like you’ve had a rough night,” Miles mentions after doing a once-over.

”G-d hates me,” Peter shrugs, “Nothin’ new.”

He frowns, fingers looped in his untied shoelaces, brows furrowed, “Can I ask what happened?”

”Oh! You don’t have to do that,” Peter hums, and the tears fall again, “Besides I should prob’bly deal with it myself.”

Miles is wide-eyed, “Maybe, but it won’t hurt to talk about it. Besides, I’m a great listener, and right now? Looks like you need someone to listen to you.”

_Oh, that does it._

The tears are back full force now, his bottom lip trembling slightly. A hot wave of sorrow washes over him and he can see through his blurry eyes Miles struggling to make a decision. His hands hover over Peter’s until he tucks them back under his armpits.

Peter manages to swallow down his sobs, can’t quite stop the tears, “I made a stupid mistake and prolly lost my girlfriend and best friend all at once.”

He huffs and digs his knuckles into his thighs, “I tried calling her. 26 times. It’s just dumb and I fucked up but I’m really sad.”

”Give them space.”

Peter blinks away tears, and it takes a few seconds to click, but when it does he can’t help but feel stupid. It’s an obvious answer, but definitely not the only one.

”How _much_ space? How do I know when it’s too little space or-or too much?” Peter pouts. His fingers dig into the gnome.

”Text them, tell them you’re ready to talk when they are. Be understanding and don’t push it,” Miles shrugs.

”That seems too easy,” Peter mumbles.

He swings his legs slightly, shoes scuffing against the floor, the exhaustion coursing through him makes his body heavy. He feels like sinking.

Miles is serving as a weird anchor... if that’s the right word to even _use,_ but his presence is calming enough.

“Maybe it is. Buy her a teddy bear,” Miles suggests, which makes him laugh.

They both dissolve into giggles until Peter sniffles. His nose is still red, he’s sure, the street lights definitely highlight that part of his face, and he shivers slightly.

”I should probably go home soon,” Peter bites his lip, and he ponders.

His apartment is roughly two minutes away, but Aunt May won’t be home until Thursday afternoon. He could call Ned to crash at his place, but it’s no doubt he’s angry at him too.

”Do you have someone to call?” Miles asks.

”My apartment is down the road...” Peter trails off.

”But you shouldn’t be alone.”

”What are you? A mind-reader?” Peter scoffs jokingly, “Hop off my dick.”

Miles laughs, “I’m just good at this bro.”

He rolls his eyes, his phone screen lighting up in front of him. It’s at _26%_ and the wallpaper was a photo of him, Ned and MJ when they strolled through Times Square like a bunch of tourists during Christmas Break.

MJ, for all her grumpy glory, insisted they took to the snow covered streets with antlers and ugly Christmas sweaters, celebrating the upcoming holiday the right way.

Peter, for all of his strength, promptly fell in love that moment watching her slip on ice with her toothy smile and red lipstick.

Listen, _fuck heartbreak._

His screen lights up again with a call, _Mr. Boss Man_ scrawled across the top. He’d never gotten around to changing the contact name.

”Mister Stark?” Peter calls out after answering, speaker phone enabled.

He ignores the curious, highly suspicious glance he’s receiving.

 _”What’s going on? You’ve been chilling outside your apartment for over an hour, are you hurt?”_ Tony responds immediately, and Miles’ eyes widen. He doesn’t say anything though, which earned him some brownie points.

Peter’s chin wobbles, “Can you come get me? Please.”

” _Give me ten minutes. Do you want to stay on call?”_

”Uh no I’ve got someone here with me.”

_”Okay, anything I should know beforehand? Do not give me a heart attack, Parker.”_

”I stole a garden gnome. And I was drinking earlier.”

A pause. A very pregnant pause, _“Okay we can work with that. Nine minutes kid.”_

Miles doesn’t say anything else for the nine minutes they wait together, swinging his legs distractedly. Peter feels the nausea come back full force, his world spinning rapidly and he hopes that he doesn’t throw up.

Tony pulls up in his fancy car he can’t remember the name of, getting out with a disgruntled huff. He pauses at the sight before him, he shoulders slumping slightly.

 _”Kid,”_ Oh gosh, the waterworks.

Peter whimpers pathetically, the pain in his head amplifies, but he squeezes his teary eyes shut. Miles pulls him up to stand.

He throws up all over himself.

Miles flinches back, startled out his mind, and Peter tips forward dangerously until Tony catches him before he can hit the ground.

Embarrassing doesn’t even describe the predicament he’s currently in... but at least he didn’t throw up on his new friend.

His throat burns and he sobs, the vertigo combined with his aching stomach, sends him right into Breakdown City.

Tony and Miles work together, wrapping their arms under him, and they haul his ass into the backseat of the flashy car. It’s Tony’s favorite.

This is real. Peter really broke up with MJ. He’s drunk, Tony’s pissed and Miles is confused.

He’s a permanent resident at Breakdown City now.

He’s become a blubbering mess, Miles scooting in beside him cautiously.

It’s quiet during the car ride until they pull up to another apartment building and Miles utters a quiet goodbye, wishing Peter good luck, to which he smiles sadly at.

Tony’s quiet in the front seat, his knuckles white with how tight he’s gripping the steering wheel.

Avengers Compound comes into view.

Peter stumbles out the car, collapsing into Tony once again, his eyes red under the bright lights illuminating the building. It’s roughly _5:03 AM_ now.

”We gotta get you out these clothes kid,” Tony rasps, his anger evident through his sharp movements and his faux demeanor.

They stumble into a bathroom after exiting the elevator, FRIDAY completely silent.

He says nothing as he shrugs off his soiled shirt, his fingers fumbling around his belt until he starts to cry from frustration. His hiccuping gets Tony’s attention from the rising bath water.

Peter hiccups again, slightly embarrassed Tony has to undo his belt and shoelaces because he can’t do it himself.

His mentor doesn’t say anything about it though.

”I’m sorry,” Peter whimpers after he’s sat down in the hot bath water. It burns his skin slightly, but his shoulders slowly start to uncoil.

“What were you thinking?” Tony replies, elbows on his knees.

He’s sat on the closed toilet lid, partially to make sure the kid doesn’t choke on his own vomit or the bath water, the other reason was to lecture him.

It does and doesn’t make sense to him, this once bright eyed kid suddenly turns into a party monster with exhaustion seeping to his core.

Tony misses the bright eyes and the even brighter smile that rambled when he was excited. The fourteen year old he took to Germany.

It scared him looking at the soon-to-be sixteen year old in front of him. He looked worn down.

”What’s going on Peter?” Tony says, softer this time.

The kid whimpers and the sound single-handedly breaks his heart.

Tears form in his eyes from watching his kid in pain like this.

”I thought it would help,” Peter weeps, his face smushed against the bathtub, “Drinking. Partying, it’s dumb. Flash does it though, so I thought why not?”

”I haven’t slept in two days and I miss Aunt May. I miss MJ,” He’s staring at the dimmed bathroom lights, his red eyes wet with tears.

”Oh, we broke up, by the way,” He sniffs, “MJ and I.”

Tony sighs, pushing himself to kneel beside the bathtub instead of sit on the toilet seat. He scrubs his fingers through Peter’s wet hair as the kid gets his emotions in check.

He’s prompting the kid to continue, and he does with a cracked voice and sad eyes.

”I fucked up Tony, I kept doing this stupid shit and forgetting and at the party I was drinking which she hates a-and then I left. I called her, said something I didn’t mean and boom,” Peter splashes the bath water.

”It hurts, Tony.” He whimpers.

”I know kid, I know.”

FRIDAY dims the lights a bit more as the sun starts to rise, it’s natural light seeping in through the bathroom windows.

Tony helps him remove the makeup and false lashes, unsurprisingly gentle as he cups Peter’s chin and wipes at his face with makeup wipes.

Pepper has good taste in makeup wipes, they’re so soft he damn near falls asleep in the tub.

His eyes are halfway open as he watches Tony throw away the makeup wipes, gathering the soiled clothes and the all-black platform shoes, exiting the bathroom for a few minutes.

Something hits his cheekbone lightly, incessant tapping until he opens his eyes again.

The bathroom is illuminated in a soft orange glow and Tony’s brown eyes are even softer. He feels like he’s melting.

”I’ll be okay?” Peter whispers.

”You’ll be okay.”

“Will you stay?”

”Of course Pete,” Tony replies.

**Author's Note:**

> miles is a baby and peter makes mistakes like a normal teen.
> 
> mj is sad and tony just wants to see these kids happy.


End file.
